News of uruguay

Milei to host Mercosur presidents amid tensions with Lula

29-06-2025 11:54 President will lead this week’s two-day two summit in Buenos Aires; Argentina’s leader to again push for a liberal shift in the South American trade bloc’s future.

FOREIGN POLICY

With same demands, isolated Milei prepares for Mercosur summit

26-06-2025 18:51 No bilateral meetings anticipated, but at the upcoming summit in Buenos Aires, there could be clashes with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – if not over their stance regarding the international situation involving Israel and Iran, then over the Brazilian leader’s potential visit to see Cristina Fernández de Kirchner serving house arrest.

JOSÉ 'PEPE' MUJICA (1935-2025)

‘Pepe’ Mujica and politics as tool for transformation

15-05-2025 14:26 José ‘Pepe’ Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, has passed away at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy of social and economic transformation. During his administration, Argentina’s neighbour experienced historic growth, with inclusive policies that reduced poverty and promoted human rights.

by Cecilia Degl'Innocenti

OBITUARY: JOSÉ 'PEPE' MUJICA (1935-2025)

José Mujica: Happiness, wisdom and generosity

15-05-2025 14:06 If wisdom is the fruit of age, then José ‘Pepe’ Mujica lived long enough to share quite a bit. He was generous with it too, not wanting to take to the grave what had cost him so dearly to learn. During an eventful life, he learned that happiness doesn't come by way of sickle, chainsaw or hammer.

by Mónica Martin

DEATH OF JOSÉ 'PEPE' MUJICA

Pepe and Lucía: Uruguay's legendary revolutionary power duo

15-05-2025 00:30 The death of former Uruguayan president José 'Pepe' Mujica brought the curtain down on one of the great love stories of Latin America.

DEATH OF JOSÉ 'PEPE' MUJICA

Uruguay bids fond farewell to popular ‘Pepe’ Mujica

15-05-2025 00:19 Thousands line streets of Montevideo to bid farewell to deceased former leader José ‘Pepe’ Mujica.

DEATH OF JOSÉ 'PEPE' MUJICA

Tributes for Mujica, Milei government’s lukewarm condolences

14-05-2025 00:02 Allies hail Uruguay ex-president’s legacy as Argentina’s government expresses condolences; Libertarian influencer’s distasteful response.

OBITUARY

'Pepe' Mujica: Uruguay's tractor-driving leftist icon

13-05-2025 17:28 Dubbed the world's "poorest president" while in office, José Mujica eschewed the trappings of success, continuing to live on his small farm, with his wife Lucía and three-legged dog Manuela at his side.

OBITUARY

The guerrilla fighter who became Uruguay's president

13-05-2025 17:17 'Pepe' Mujica, the former left-wing guerrilla who spent more than a decade in prison before becoming president of Uruguay, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in April 2024, which later spread to his liver.

EX-URUGUAY PRESIDENT

Uruguay's ex-president Mujica receiving palliative care

12-05-2025 18:00 Former Uruguay president Jose 'Pepe' Mujica is in a "terminal" phase of cancer and receiving palliative care, his wife confirmed Monday.

Local elections in Uruguay

Left retains control of Montevideo in Uruguay regional elections

12-05-2025 12:58 Uruguayan election cycle closes out with wins for Frente Amplio in Montevideo and Canelones, with opposition holding less populous territories nationwide.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Merz tells France Mercosur trade deal must be ratified 'quickly'

07-05-2025 11:13 New German chancellor Friedrich Merz says EU countries should "quickly" ratify a free-trade deal with the Mercosur bloc that has met with staunch opposition from France.

MERCOSUR SUMMIT

Mercosur to expand common tariff exemptions as trade war rages

11-04-2025 17:30 Mercosur countries have decided to relax common external tariffs on 50 products of the choice of each of its members, giving them more flexibility to negotiate deals.

BUSINESS & INVESTMENT

Mercado Libre to invest US$2.6 billion in Argentina this year

09-04-2025 17:31 US$2.6-billion investment marks a 53% increase on last year’s figure and forms part of a wider regional expansion drive.

Foreign policy & diplomacy

Uruguay's Orsi calls for Latin American unity in face of economic uncertainty

08-04-2025 17:23 Uruguay's left-wing President Yamandú Orsi calls for regional integration in the face of economic uncertainty from the United States.

SCANDAL IN URUGUAY

Uruguay rocked by US$300 million in cattle fraud claims

20-03-2025 12:21 Urugauy is facing one of its biggest-ever retail investor fraud cases, with companies peddling cattle investments accused of bilking savers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

TOURISM & TRAVEL

Argentina’s rich neighbours cut back on visits due to strong peso

28-01-2025 09:38 Tourists visiting from Uruguay and Chile fell at least 30% in December from a year ago, according to INDEC.

ENVIRONMENT

Uruguay bucks 2024 global warming trend

10-01-2025 09:25 The world experienced its hottest year in 2024 since records began, but in Uruguay, global warming was counteracted by bouts of "near-historic" cold.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU-Mercosur free-trade deal 'not concluded,' says Macron

06-01-2025 16:38 French President Emmanuel Macron declares that the controversial free-trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc is "not concluded."

ART

Small Uruguayan town of Garzón seeks place on international art map

06-01-2025 13:19 It may not be the most obvious location for an international art festival, but Pueblo Garzón is a small town with big ambitions to join the world's cultural hotspots.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Mercosur and EU announce agreement on free-trade deal

06-12-2024 13:02 Almost 25 years on from the first opening of negotiations, the the EU and Mercosur reach agreement for free-trade deal that will create a market exceeding 700 million people.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU reaches long-sought Mercosur deal despite French objections

06-12-2024 12:47 European Union and Mercosur bloc clinch trade deal despite objections of France, which will try to block process; Signing and ratification process could take as long as 18 months.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU-Mercosur deal ‘in sight,’ says top European official

05-12-2024 20:49 Chances of a sealed deal seemed slim at press time as leaders in France, Italy renew criticism.

COMMENTS IN INTERVIEW

Mujica admits to ‘rude’ critique of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

04-12-2024 11:29 Former Uruguayan president admits comments on Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were “not at all diplomatic,” but insists on need for renewal of Peronism.

'Pepe' Mujica interview

Mujica: Left’s return to power in Uruguay is ‘a farewell prize’

29-11-2024 11:40 José ‘Pepe’ Mujica is perhaps the most famous Uruguayan in the world, but that doesn't faze him. “I'm not a phenomenon; I'm an ordinary guy with some eccentricities,” says the 89-year-old former president.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Lula: Brussels, not Paris, will decide EU-Mercosur trade deal

27-11-2024 23:29 Blockbuster deal between the 27-country European Union and Mercosur countries – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – will not be decided only by France, declares Lula.

ANALYSIS

Too stable? Uruguay's model election masks problems

27-11-2024 10:00 Election day passed off peacefully in Uruguay, with the losing candidate accepting defeat gracefully. But underneath the surface, Argentina's neighbour faces a raft of issues, including growing disenchantment with the political system.

POLITICS IN URUGUAY

Orsi, Uruguay's president-elect, visits mentor Mujica after run-off win

25-11-2024 22:22 Frente Amplio leader Yamandú Orsi, who won last Sunday's presidential run-off plays up ties to ex-president Jose 'Pepe' Mujica ahead of taking office.

uruguay election 2024

Orsi wins Uruguay election as voters oust incumbent party

25-11-2024 13:03 Anti-incumbent trend in the Americas continues in Uruguay as voters’ worries about inequality and crime spur change of government.

URUGUAY ELECTIONS 2024

Frente Amplio returns to power in Uruguay as Orsi wins run-off

25-11-2024 10:44 Frente Amplio's Yamandú Orsi is elected president of Uruguay after Sunday's run-off; Leftist leader calls for national dialogue in a speech to supporters after results.

URUGUAY ELECTION 2024

Uruguay readies for polls with Frente Amplio hoping for comeback

22-11-2024 10:03 Álvaro Delgado of outgoing president Luis Lacalle Pou's ruling coalition, and Yamandú Orsi, of the left-wing Frente Amplio coalition, go head-to-head in the Uruguay's presidential election run-off.

WORLD CUP QUALIFERS

Argentina beat Peru in Buenos Aires as Uruguay hold Brazil

20-11-2024 10:40 Argentina secured a 1-0 win over Peru with a stunning Lautaro Martínez volley to remain top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings going into the New Year.

Uruguay Elections

Uruguay heads for presidential run-off after Orsi fails to reach 50%

28-10-2024 12:25 Yamandú Orsi and Álvaro Delgado head to run-off after both candidates fail to clear benchmark for win in first round of Uruguay's presidential election.

Uruguay election 2024

US$23-billion pension vote overshadows Uruguay’s upcoming election

16-10-2024 11:35 In the middle of Uruguay's presidential election, citizens are battling with a US$23-billion pension vote that would increase minimum payouts, lower the retirement age and transfer privately managed savings to a government-run trust.

Politics & Economy

Leftist Uruguay presidential candidate pledges to achieve primary fiscal surplus

25-09-2024 18:12 Uruguay’s leading presidential candidate, Yamandu Orsi of the opposition Frente Amplio coalition, says he will aim for primary fiscal surplus by the end of his term if he wins the October election.

URUGUAYAN ECONOMY

Pot companies are fleeing Uruguay, first nation that legalised marijuana

19-09-2024 16:14 Uruguay led the international wave of legalising marijuana over ten years ago. However, the cost of production and lack of business today has many companies rethinking their decision and fleeing to take their business elsewhere.

MERCOSUR TENSIONS

Mercosur-China trade talks must address imbalance, Paraguay says

06-09-2024 11:59 Mercosur would be willing to negotiate a trade agreement with China if it addresses the lopsided commerce between the two trading partners, says Paraguay.

Mercosur trade bloc

Uruguay applauds Argentina’s shift of stance on Mercosur

05-09-2024 13:15 Argentina indicates it is willing to shift its stance on Mercosur trade bloc negotiations, drawing praise from Uruguay.

Foreign relations & diplomacy

Argentina joins 10 other nations in rejecting Maduro vote certification

23-08-2024 12:58 Argentina, along with the United States and nine Latin American countries, issues statement rejecting the Venezuela Supreme Court's certification of President Nicolás Maduro's July 28 re-election.

MERCOSUR SUMMIT

Mercosur leaders slam Milei's absence from summit

09-07-2024 09:44 Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, Luis Lacalle Pou and Santiago Peña criticise Argentine leaders decision not to attend a Mercosur presidential summit.

MERCOSUR SUMMIT

Mondino tells Mercosur peers that bloc needs ‘adrenaline shock’

08-07-2024 13:03 Argentina’s Foreign Minister tells her Mercosur counterparts that trade bloc needs an “adrenaline shock” to realise its “untapped potential” – yet President Javier Milei still won’t attend presidential summit.

Copa América 2024

Copa América crunch-time for surviving quartet

08-07-2024 11:05 Argentina versus Canada and Uruguay against Colombia – the Copa América is down to the final four with a pair of fascinating semi-finals.

FOREIGN POLICY & DIPLOMACY

Milei shuns Mercosur summit and awkward meet with Lula

01-07-2024 15:00 Argentina’s President Javier Milei pulls out of upcoming Mercosur summit in Asunción and potentially awkward meeting with Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

RACISM IN SPORT

Argentine coach Caruso Lombardi quits Uruguay club over slur against football ref

23-05-2024 15:40 Football coach Ricardo Caruso Lombardi, under investigation for hurling a racial slur at a referee, quits his Uruguayan club.

Bloomberg

Inflation near 300% wipes out tourists’ deep discounts

13-04-2024 17:13 Surging inflation threatens to crimp a key source of tourism revenue as foreigners opt for other destinations.

AGRICULTURE & ECONOMY

World’s top fertiliser maker plans exit from Argentina, Chile

13-04-2024 16:59 Nutrien, the world’s largest maker of fertilisers, says it is looking to sell its retail operations in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

BLOOMBERG

Real-estate mogul eyes ‘city-towns’ from Patagonia to Paraguay

12-04-2024 10:33 Eduardo Costantini, Argentine real-estate mogul who popularised gated community concept, plans to spend up to US$1.5 billion developing more in new areas.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Judge asks Uruguay to repatriate Navy plane used in the Condor Plan

21-03-2024 14:05 Court demands repatriation of plane in Uruguay that was used to transfer detainees during the Operation Condor plan of coordination between South American dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s.

MERCOSUR TENSIONS

Mercosur tensions: Uruguay rage overshadows hope for EU deal

08-03-2024 11:43 Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou slams Argentina, Brazil governments for blocking his free-trade deal with China; Lula and Spanish PM Sánchez optimistic about long-trailed EU despite impasse.